Report: Morocco complicit in CIA Rendition and Torture

Report: Morocco complicit in CIA Rendition and Torture

The Following is a summary exposing the extent to which the Moroccan authorities were Involved in the CIA extraordinary rendition programme. The excerpt is from a lengthy report published by the Open Society Foundations, which is regarded as “the most comprehensive account yet assembled of the human rights abuses associated with CIA secret detention and extraordinary rendition operations”. The report includes a numerous accounts of abuse amongst them the testimony of Abu al-Qassim Britel and ex-Guantanamo detainee Binyam Mohammed who were both abused in secret torture facilities in Morocco. The full report can be downloaded from here.

36. Morocco

Morocco detained and tortured extraordinarily rendered individuals, and hosted secret CIA detention. It also permitted use of its airspace and airports for flights associated with CIA extraordinary rendition operations.

Individuals that the CIA extraordinarily rendered to Morocco include Abou Elkassim Britel, Noor al-Deen, and Binyam Mohamed. The CIA transferred Abu Britel to Morocco on May 23, 2002, where he was tortured for eight and half months in the custody of Moroccan agents at Témara prison.1294 On July 22, 2002, the CIA trans- ferred Mohamed to Morocco where his interrogators broke his bones while beating him, sliced his genitals, poured hot liquid onto his penis while cutting it, and threat- ened him with rape, electrocution, and death.

Saleh Hadiyah Abu Abdullah Di’iki was transferred from Mauritania, where he was held reportedly at the behest of the United States, to Morocco in November 2003. After a month of detention in Morocco, a team of U.S. officials in military uniforms and masks flew Di’iki, diapered and hooded, to Afghanistan, where he was held by U.S. authorities, including by the CIA, at two different facilities, before being transferred to Libya.1297 Mustafa Salim Ali el-Madaghi was flown, after being diapered and hooded by Americans in accordance with “standard CIA rendition transportation procedures,” to Morocco, and held in a facility that appeared to be “run by Americans” for around two months before being extraordinarily rendered to Libya.1298 Additionally, Hassan Ghul reportedly believed that he was detained in Morocco at some point while the CIA held him in secret detention.1299 See the detainee list in Section IV.

There are two detention facilities in Morocco associated with CIA secret deten- tion and extraordinary rendition operations. First, there is the Témara Detention Center south of Rabat, which is run by the Moroccan Internal Security Service. According to a 2010 U.N. report, at least three extraordinary rendition victims— including Binyam Mohammed, Abou Britel, and Noor al-Deen—were held in the Témara prison.1302 Second, the United States reportedly helped Morocco build an additional facility in Ain Aouda, near Rabat, specifically for Al Qaeda suspects.

Jeppesen Dataplan was involved in landing extraordinary rendition flights in Rabat, Morocco.1304 Additionally, court documents show that at least seven flights oper- ated by Richmor Aviation (a company whose flights transported CIA extraordinary rendition victims)1305 landed in Morocco in 2004.1306 These include flight N85VM, which landed in Rabat at some point between March 27 and 30, 2004; N85VM, which landed in Rabat between April 11 and 13, 2004; N85VM, which landed in Rabat between May 3 and 7, 2004; N85VM, which landed in Rabat between May 20 and 22, 2004; N85VM, which landed in Rabat between July 23 and 25, 2004; N85VM, which landed in Rabat between July 30 and August 3, 2004; and N227SV, which landed in Rabat between September 29 and October 2, 2004. There have been no known judicial cases or investigations in Morocco relating to its participation in CIA secret detention and extraordinary rendition operations.